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What was your bass progression & why?

Too many to count...in rough order, over the last 10 years: Warwick,Fender,Warwick,Fender,MM,Lull,Roscoe,Warwick,Fender,MM, Warwick...

Turns out i sound the same/try to get the same out of all these basses, i just liked the way Warwicks felt the most, and they sound the closest to where im heading.
 
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I got my first bass in 1976, when I was 13 years old. It was one of these:

1971-SB400-walnut-1.jpg


The Gibson SB 300 and 400 were a pretty short-lived phenomenon. The vast majority of these Kalamazoo-made basses were produced in 1971, with a few more in '72 and '73, but by late '72 they were no longer listed in price lists, in favor of two new bass models, the SB350 and SB450.

They never made it into any American Gibson catalog, although they did appear in this 1971 publicity sheet, also advertising the Gibson SG200 guitar.

The June 1971 price for either SB model was $289.50, compared to $350 for the EB0/EB0L and $410 for the EB3/EB3L.
The nylon saddles were particularly poor-wearing on this multiplex bridge, which is one of the reasons few of these basses still have them fitted.

Despite being SG-shaped, and finished in walnut or cherry, these basses were very different to the EB basses available in 1971. In fact the body shape and colour about the only thing these basses have in common. SB: Alder body, a two-pice maple neck, small angle (7o) headstock angle and single coil pickups EBs: mahogany body, three-piece mahogany neck, 13o headstock angle and humbuckers.

I got mine used from Schmidt Music in Brooklyn Park, MN. I would guess we paid around $200 or so. It had a big buckle rash on the back. Some "friends" of mine destroyed it in a show, Townsend style. It had faulty electronics by then, and all it probably needed was some soldering. I used to have part of the neck and headstock, but I don't know what happened to them.

My next bass was a fireglo Rickenbacker 4001, which looked a lot like my current 4003. My mom made me sell it, because I got caught with weed, and for the next 30 years or so, I did not consider myself a bass player at all. When I did recordings, I either brought in a "real" bass player, or played the bass parts on keyboard.

Then I started playing bass so my ex-wife could be a standalone singer in our band, around 2007(ish) First I played her Washburn P-bass copy, and then I borrowed our guitar player's little brother's Washburn. I don't remember much about that one. My first bass I owned in many years was a fantastic Frankenfender, which I still have and still adore.

Link Removed
It's an Alder Squier body, and a Maple Fender-authorized neck that someone put a Fender logo on. EMG Select (passive) pickups, Badass II bridge. It plays and feels great, and I've had compliments about the tone.


I also have a Squier Affinity V that I used to use a lot. My main bass these days is the one featured in my avatar:

Rick Ampeg1.jpg
 
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Near 70 basses in 35 years.First ten years went like this.
semi hollow Commodore no tuning pegs,3 strings,pickup nailed to body £1
Tulip shaped Kay/Teisco short scale (wished I'd kept Commodore )
Store brand Japanese 12lb P bass (27 year later still regret selling)
Washburn ABT B-20
Wal JG Custom (another seller regret )
SGC Nanyo SB310

Best progression I can think of went
1984 see Tune Bass Maniac in magazine (GAS)
1987 ? buy Washburn ABT B-20 ( near copy of Maniac)
1990 buy SGC Nanyo ( very similar to Maniac)
2014 Nostalgia buy of Washburn ABT B-105 & B-20 (better as a memory)
2014 Tune TBW 4 ( had to own a Tune )
2015 buy Tune Bass Maniac project (still unfinished)
 
Here's my list in mostly chronological order:
1) early 90s Peavey Fury- solid entry level bass. Basically a pencil necked p copy. Given to me as a gift from my brother.
2) '70 Gibson EB-0 slot head-My first real bass. Paid $200. Sold it like a fool a few years later.
3) Fender California Precision Bass- The bass that made a fender man out of me. I sold it to get a Jazz bass, which turned out to be a huge mistake. I miss it to this day
4) Fender American Standard Jazz Bass- solid instrument. Was my #1 for a few years even though I was never entirely happy with it.
5) American standard precision fretless- my first foray into fretless. Great bass, I'm just not a fretless guy.
6) American standard precision (alder/rosewood) got a deal on it. Solid player, but kind of mediocre. Sold it pretty quickly.
7) Fender American series precision (ash/rosewood) I bought it new in '00 and still have it. Great bass and very near and dear to me. Unfortunately it's a huge boat anchor weight wise and has been retired from regular use.
8) 80s Ibanez roadster II- P/J bass with humongous neck. Cool, but not a keeper.
9) Gibson SG standard bass- bought it due to fond memories of my eb-0, was disappointed and quickly sold it.
10) Guild Pilot 5-extremely well built and sounded killer. Great bass but 5 string just is not for me.
11) Univox Beatle bass fretless- neat toy, not very well made and had a lot of issues. Looked good on the wall though.
12) Fender MIJ Precision- weird 80s all black (neck and all) P with humongous neck. Well built but mediocre sound and playability.
13) Fender American series precision (alder/maple)- Excellent all around instrument. Probably the best P I've owned but unfortunately sold it when I was down on my luck.
14) EBMM Stingray 4- Got a screaming deal on it because the owner was bummed about a gnarly crack in the neck pocket. Killer tone and playability. I've had it for years and never had any reason to address the crack. Stays in tune like a beast. Still have this one.
15) '70 Gibson EB-3L- I always wanted an eb-3 and my wife bought me this one for my 40th birthday. It's in remarkable condition for its age other than the stock bridge which I replaced with a Hipshot supertone. Great player and some of the gnarliest tones imaginable...I love it!
16) Fender American series precision (alder/maple)- I was not looking for another bass but saw this one on CL for $500 recently and couldn't pass it up. The s-1 electronics have been replaced with a Lollar pickup and vintage style wiring. Killer tone and pretty light for a P. Great bass and a keeper for sure.
 
1) Fender JP-90 a budget American made jazz/p hybrid with an odd body shape. Learned to play on it and played my first gigs with it.
2) Ibanez Sr-400 (mid 90s version) a singer I worked with bought this for me as compensation and to record with. First bass I owned with actives and 24 frets.
3) 1968 EB-0 - I was a huge Pappalardi fan, and didn't realize how unuseable that mud bucker would be. Got it for $400 in 1999 but it wasn't in great shape.
4) Warwick Corvette Standard (German) - I was kinda talked into that one. Not a fan.
5) Wishbass Swirl - pos. But it looked cool.
6) Ibanez DWB-2 - I thought the curved body shape was awesome and didn't realize that was copied from Spector. Loved the tone and feel of this one until I bought an actual Spector.
7) EBMM Stingray - after years of owning somewhat off brand, thin necked basses I thought it'd make sense to grab something more traditional. I'd planned to buy a Fender Am Deluxe P with a bridge humbucker but I tried a stingray alongside it and the Ray just killed the Fender. Played that bass and the brand, from 2006 until this last year.
8) Fender American Special Jazz - bought this because everyone always says "omg you need a Fender". It's been sold since. Fun side note. The factory setup was just insanely good. Got it setup by several techs afterwards and it never played as well. Freak of nature that one.
9) Spector Euro - bought one because they aren't available to try in my area. Fell in love. I've bought and sold 3 Euros, and now own a Forte and 2 NS2s. Best basses on earth.
 
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For me it's:

'85 Ibanez RB850 Roadstar II 5-string. A gift from my Uncle.
'?? Peavy T-40. On a trade. Weighed a ton, got rid of it after about 2 weeks.
'99 Lidyl Czech 3/4 Upright. Had it set up at Upton in Boston. Great player.
'08 Squier Affinity in Black. Best $40, I've spent. Fun little bass, but doesn't like heavy
gauge strings.
'12 Carvin SB5000 Fretless. Love this bass.
'89 Fender Jazz Bass Special. Hot Pink.
'03 Fender Precision. MIM in Ice Blue Metallic. My favorite P-Bass.

I've always liked the sound of the P-bass, and tend to prefer wider and fatter necks. While I can appreciate other basses, I've got what I need in the Fenders. The Carvin was a build I had done because I also wanted a fretless Jazz style and just dig the SB style. I'd order another from them as their fit and finish is excellent. I keep eyeing the Bromberg, but don't really need another....
 
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Vantage X-99 for Christmas in 1982.

Yamaha RBX 550 (cherry red) that I immediately had the hardware powder coated black, added a Hipshot D-Tuner, and scalloped the last 6 frets on the fretboard (thanks Billy Sheehan!) in 1988.

Pulled the frets from the Vantage in 1990.

Used a school model upright, and studies Jazz in college from 1994-1996.

Samick AEB (the F hole model) and immediately pulled the frets in 1995.

Sold it all (I'll never forgive myself for that) in 2001 because of work, wife and kids (life got in the way).

Wife got me an Ibanez SX500 for Christmas 2007 and an Ibanez amp to play to our infant kids. By then, I realized that music wasn't a competition to win.

ESP B-206SM in 2012 because the band I was asked to join played with a lot of capos, and I needed something to transpose to odd keys with.

NS Designs NXT 4 in string 2013 because I love upright, and it fit very well with the classic country music that we play.

Breedlove Atlas Fretless AEB in 2014, because I wanted to replace the Samick.

Ibanez Portamento 5 string a few months ago because I wanted a fretless to play with live.

I'm done. I've got every tone and feel that I could ever want.
 
Ibanez SB900: my friend gave it to me when he moved across the country and couldn't take it, because I said I wanted a bass and was broke AF. Sold because I wanted something a little nicer and tonally/stylistically it wasn't really me.

Peavey Cirrus BXP-4: wanted a Peavey Cirrus like John Taylor of Duran Duran, couldn't afford a US one. Sold to upgrade to a US model.

Peavey Cirrus USA: sold because I got bored with trying to copy John Taylor (hahaha) and the 35" scale was kinda bugging me. Also wanted a '77 Fender Jazz and was not making a lot of money at the time, so this was the only way.

Music Man Sterling: wanted a secondary bass that was different than my Peavey. I still have it and probably always will. I wanted something lighter and liked the fact that Louis Johnson and Bernard Edwards, two of my favorites, played Music Man.

'77 Fender Jazz: was gonna get the Marcus Miller signature bass and then became intrigued with finding the real thing. Bury me with it, I will never sell it.

Guilin Baby Bass: gateway drug to upright/Latin bass. Traded plus cash for the real deal. <3

1961 Ampeg Baby Bass: Bury me with this one too. Literally one of my dream basses as I began getting more into salsa and Latin jazz.

Squier VM Jazz fretless: Wanted to try fretless. Hated the sunburst so I painted it neon green just to be a weirdo. Sold for extra money when I moved to California. It was okay but I think I could've gotten something better used, for not much money. Not sure I'd get another fretless...I'm just not really interested now that I'm into upright.

Fender MIM Jazz: Bought last year when I went to Cupertino for Genius training because the idea of going 3 weeks without playing and the boredom of Sunnyvale (where we stayed) was just too much for me to think about. I lent it to one of my friends in Oakland and now we take turns with it...she uses it to record and is fixing up the neck for me as a favor. I think it's late 90's. It actually sounds pretty good for a $250 bass. It doesn't feel as good as far as the craftsmanship, but whatever, it was great to have it on the nights we went back to the hotel and just hung out. I got a tortoise shell pick guard (it's antique white with a rosewood fretboard) and will probably put rounds on it and switch my '77 to flats. A good "backup" bass.

I evolved within about 5 years from someone who plunked away at Bauhaus, Joy Division, and Duran Duran bass lines...to playing jazz standards, funk, soul, and salsa. I still try to be versatile although now I'm focusing primarily on the genres I just listed. I've worked really hard and spent thousands of dollars, but I can absolutely say without hesitation that it's been worth every penny. I'm of the camp that you ultimately get what you pay for, although I lucked out with my Music Man (it was $700 on an eBay pawn shop store because it has some dings and gouges in the body and a nick in the fretboard which just misses the strings...BUT it came with the original hardshell case too!).
 
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1979 "Walnut"Pre EB Music Man Sabre was my very first bass.Stripped the finish off.Did a clear reddish/orange torch scorched finish.Messed up the electronics.

Aria SB Elite1.White.

Aria Pro II Cat Bass.Red.Seymour Duncan pickup upgrade with mini toggle EQ switches.

Washburn XB500.Trans Blue.The sound was..........??

Fender P-Bass Lyte Deluxe.Later converted to fretless.The only Fender that I've owned.

Warwick Corvette.Although natural finished,a bit too heavy at the time.

Washburn T-14 Refinishing Experiment.

Cort Curbow 5 in Black.Failed upgrade.

Washburn Taurus T-24.Upgraded.
Washburn Taurus T-25.Upgraded both then sold.Should have kept them!

Tune TWB63OB Fretted.
Tune TWB63OB fretless.The first basses that I truly liked!!
Krappy Touchstyle 12 string.Made of Bloodwood by Kevin Siebold.

Washburn CB15."B" Stock.Meh.

Traben John Moyer 5.

Schecter Stiletto Extreme 5.Missing "something"

Cort Curbow 5,"Burl"Liked the low weight.Could not upgrade.

ESP LTD B1006(owned for a month.Should have kept)

Harmonia six string acoustic electric bass guitar.
Awful.Don't try one.


From the very beginning of playing bass,I've always wanted natural wood finish basses.Because of Stanley Clarke's Alembics.
But most bass makers weren't making them.
So I had to settle for painted basses.
Until recently.

Now I Currently own:
Walnut Tune TWB63WN six string bass.Snapshot_2015704.jpg
Switched necks with the fretless TWB.Sold fretted TWB

Walnut Wolf WTHB-7W seven string bass.Snapshot_20151101_2.JPG
Upgraded components.

Ash Dean Sledgehammer 5.Snapshot_20151006 (2).jpg

Nato Aria FEB FL/F N Fretless Acoustic Electric.Snapshot_20160111_6.JPG

On order.Washburn Taurus T-14NMK.Taurus T-14.JPG
 
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1. Fender Jazz- versatility, looks, sound, quality......JPJ and Geddy Lee. By far my #1 axe.
2. Epiphone Viola- Wanted to try semi-hollow, short-scale....good for Beatles tunes.
3. Fender P- Still learning it, but once I played it, the Jazz was not enough. Had to have it.
 
Started with a Cort precision bass when I was sixteen. Sounded and played amazingly truss rod rarely needed tweaked in the 14 years I had it. Decided to repaint it and pretty much ruined it.

2. Cort action 5, loved this bass and will own another some day. Although ive never seen another in candy red like mine. Needed a pickup upgrade and I owned it before I knew you could swap pups. First bass i bought myself.

3. Oscar Schmidt delta king. Coolest looking bass ive ever owned. Traded the action five to get it.

4. Music man sub. The American made version. WOW that's all I can say about this thing. The other basses quit getting played when I picked this up.

5. Ibanez sdgr. 5 string. No idea of the model. Got a good deal on this thing, but hated pretty much everything about it. Sold it after about a month. Did make out a little bit on the deal so I guess that's something.

6. Fender jazz 5. This is still my go to bass five years later. I still remember plugging it in the first time and thinking "this is what fender is all about."

I then sold the delta king because between the mm and the jazz it just hung in the wall.

7. Squier affinity precision. I decided to replace the precision I had butchered and at the time I worked for amazon and had seen quite a few affinities come thru the warehouse and was impressed with them so I pulled the trigger.

Next I parted out the precision I butchered.

8. A dean Z. This thing is obnoxious looking but ive always kinda dug the aesthetic of this and a v. Found it used for 150 bucks. This is the 400 new model so I can feel kinda okay about the fact that it hangs on the wall. I have big plans for this bass, electronics, paint, and a new neck. I'm just taking my sweet time.

9. Finally my fender jazz fsr 4 string. When I bought the 5 string jazz I was actually in the market for a 4 string but joined a band that played in low A so a five was necessary. So this past July for my birthday I finally got myself that 4 string.
 
I started off with a 4 string bullet bass, then decided to do the 5 string thing (ibanez SR 500)

After deciding I'd rather stick with 4 strings I went through a few ibanez SR 500's (fretted and fretless).

After a few years I stepped out and got a Modulus Q4. Loved it! Although the 35" scale with the almost P bass width at the nut kinda made it hard to play for long periods of time.
It did sound awesome though!

I took about an 8 year break and while listening to the radio one day Brooks and Dunn's Neon Moon came on.
So out of the self imposed retirement and on to what I love to do.

I bought the Squier Jag ss after checking the reviews by the good folks here on Talkbass.
I gotta say that short scales are where it's at for me!

That's my story and I'm sticking to it! :)
 
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My progression has been to sell, sell, sell. It's possible I have one or two now that I'll never sell, but I don't stake anything important on having a particular bass. It's just not a big deal to me anymore. If it intrigues me, I'll try it.
 
Cort 30" scale J bass
Rick 79 4001
Fender mij precision
Steinberger xl2
Fender mij Jazz
Fender Mia jazz*
Fender 77 ash precision
Fender 79 precision
Rick 4003
Moses jazz fretless
Stingray fretless
Sterling
Tobias classic 5
Carvin lb76
Squier Mike Dirnt modified fretless*
Modulus quantum 5*
Modulus quantum 6*

*means I still have it. There are probably more
 
My first bass was a trade for a crappy cort guitar
a Takamine
taka.jpg

this one scored me my first gig in a band , this must have been in 1991
then I got a Ibanez 78 silverseries Jazz.
In 2000 I bought a EBMM sterling
In 2007 I got a cij Fender Jag ( first ebay deal)
this started my crazy drunkandondrugs online buying spree:
1995 Ibanez Iceman
Galveston 8string
squier vm jag
washburn t14 fl
a crappy pointy starfire thing
+ a bunch of guitars
( iceman , mockingbird , 335 copy , strat copy )

P1020283.jpg

P1020865.jpg


also a lot of pedals .
to relieve gas I've started building stuff
10509611_10152156136886782_6420807207154309960_n.jpg

P1030167.jpg

P1030268_1.jpg

P1030503.jpg

P1030532.jpg


Thats the hoarding so far ;)
 
My first bass was a trade for a crappy cort guitar
a Takamine
taka.jpg

this one scored me my first gig in a band , this must have been in 1991
then I got a Ibanez 78 silverseries Jazz.
In 2000 I bought a EBMM sterling
In 2007 I got a cij Fender Jag ( first ebay deal)
this started my crazy drunkandondrugs online buying spree:
1995 Ibanez Iceman
Galveston 8string
squier vm jag
washburn t14 fl
a crappy pointy starfire thing
+ a bunch of guitars
( iceman , mockingbird , 335 copy , strat copy )

P1020283.jpg

P1020865.jpg


also a lot of pedals .
to relieve gas I've started building stuff
10509611_10152156136886782_6420807207154309960_n.jpg

P1030167.jpg

P1030268_1.jpg

P1030503.jpg

P1030532.jpg


Thats the hoarding so far ;)

Is that a Fender Jazz in Vintage Sunburst with Ashtrays? Oh man, PM me if you want to trade or sell !!